During the Red Devils’ struggles this season, Rooney and RVP have often been out injured at separate times and haven’t been able to use their potent partnership to terrorize opposition defenses. Over the last two season the duo have been pivotal for Man United, with the club boasting a 78 percent win rate in the 32 games they’ve played together, while United have won just 55 percent of the 55 games where Rooney and RVP have not been partner up front.

Now they’re both out for the crunch game at Chelsea, but Moyes revealed Rooney is making good progress.

“Well he has come back fresh, but not ready for Chelsea,” Moyes told reporters on Friday. “He is training and out on the grass doing some running. He’s looking quite good, he’s had a break and done a lot of strengthening work around his groin, hopefully enjoyed a few days in the sunshine and hopefully he will benefit on it. But not for this game.”

Could Rooney return next week for United’s League Cup semifinal second leg vs. Sunderland?

“Possibly. I don’t want to be a date on it just now, because I don’t want to say he will be fit for whatever game, and then he isn’t,” Moyes said. “We’ve just got to take it bit by bit. But I’ve watched him running today and he looks well, he is in really good condition and has kept himself right. Overall we are pleased, we just hope we can get him back as quickly as we can because he’s an important player.”

Moyes also confirmed that Robin van Persie is still on the sidelines, but could return to training next weekend as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.

“I’m hoping Robin will be able to come back out training at the start of next week,” Moyes said. “If I could get Robin back training with us, it would be a great boost for us all. He is a really important player and a player we’ve missed But he’s getting closer now and most of them are getting closer to fitness, so let’s hope it’s not too long until we get them back.”

This season Van Persie has only played in 11 of United’s 21 Premier League matches, scoring seven times, while Rooney has scored nine times in 17 PL games. Needless to say, a United side without RVP and Rooney leading the line is one that doesn’t frighten many opponents.